


Winged Wonder

by Ethel_Slygathor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Civil War (Marvel), F/M, Parent Death, Parent Tony Stark, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 08:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20904827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethel_Slygathor/pseuds/Ethel_Slygathor
Summary: If only Tony knew about her sooner. If only Sam could have saved her mother. If only Bucky remembered. If only Steve didn't let their feud get in the way. If only they were there for her.Her family is falling to pieces before it's even begun.





	1. Chapter 1

As usual, Tony Stark is in the armoury of Avengers Tower - making ‘necessary’ modifications to his latest Iron Man suit. He’s been here most of the day: the Avengers haven’t been very busy lately, only a few missions here and there that don’t need the whole team involved; and Tony hasn’t been involved in any of them. So, naturally, he’s bored.

He’s already changed the wifi password to watch Steve try to figure out why his phone won’t let him use the YouTube app to watch funny cat videos (probably).Unfortunately Sam gave him the new password and Tony’s fun was spoiled, but it was fun while it lasted: Steve was genuinely afraid that he could never use the app again. Therefore to cure his boredom, Tony decided he would be practical and improve his Iron Man armour.

***

Tony’s been working for close to two hours when F.R.I.D.A.Y interrupts him.

“Sir, you have a call on the line,” the AI announces and Tony gently places down his blowtorch, disappointed that he didn’t get to use it.

“Who is it?” he asks, taking off his protective mask and tossing it onto the nearest table.

“The head of S.H.I.E.L.D Child Services, Sir.”

~ ~ ~ ~

With a huff, Ava manages to lift her heavy suitcase into the trunk of the car - glad to be leaving this place so soon.

“Thanks for the help everyone,” she says sarcastically to her spectators, most of them jealous that she’s leaving after only two weeks of staying here.

Ava’s glad to be leaving this place. Even though it has the best facilities S.H.I.E.L.D can offer, it doesn't feel like home to her: her home died with just one phone call.

_It was nearly midnight when her phone rang. She jumped at the loud sound, fumbling with it in her hands before tentatively clicking the answer button. Slowly, she brought the phone to her ear; waiting to hear those two dreaded words._

_ “I’m sorry.”_

Blinking away the tears threatening to fall, Ava turns to face the people she’s shared a living space with for the duration of her stay here.

“Thank you for putting a roof over my head and food in my mouth while I was here. But now I must leave,” she pauses for dramatic effect, “Adios bitches!” Ava jumps into the car and shuts the door with a dramatic slam.

Once hidden behind the blacked out windows of the car, she lets her silent tears fall - wrapping her arms around her torso like she’s holding herself together.

***

An hour later the driver (who happily introduced himself as Happy) announces that they're almost there. Ava nods, wiping her tears away with her jacket sleeve. She pulls out the compact mirror from her pocket; she groans when she sees her appearance - running mascara and red puffy eyes - and searches her pockets for a tissue. She comes up empty.

“Excuse me, Happy?” she asks him nervously, leaning forward slightly in her seat.

“Yeah?” Happy answers, glancing in the rearview mirror; he doesn’t mention her post-crying appearance. Ava’s glad for that.

“You don’t happen to have a tissue do you?” Happy rummages in his pockets, keeping one hand on the wheel, and pulls out a new packet of tissues. He hands them over.

“Here you go,” he says sympathetically and returns his full concentration to driving. Ava thanks him, not just for the tissues but for his respectful silence throughout the journey - just what she needed.

“You’re welcome.” Happy sends a warm smile to the rearview mirror for Ava to see, and she knows that he knows exactly what she means.

Leaning back in her seat she retrieves a tissue from the packet. She licks the end of the tissue, scrunched up in her hand, in order to remove the makeup easier. Using her compact mirror she wipes away the mascara. There’s nothing she can do about her red puffy eyes so she snaps her compact shut with a sigh.

“Welcome to your new home,” Happy declares as Avengers Tower comes into view. _Home, _Ava thinks bitterly, _I don’t have a home anymore._

She shakes the negative thought from her mind, looking at the architectural wonder of Avengers Tower in awe. She’s never seen it up close before - only seeing it on the news and from afar.

Happy pulls the car to a stop in the parking garage of the tower.

“Holy shit,” Ava breathes once she catches sight of the vast amount and range of expensive sports cars.

“You can say that again,” Happy says, popping the trunk to retrieve her luggage - Ava offers to help however he refuses, “I’ve had to carry more than this before, it’s no trouble.” He smiles friendly. Ava returns the smile, the first genuine smile in a while.

“Thank you,” she says again.

~ ~ ~ ~

It took Tony a long time to wrap his head around the news he had been given. And even longer to be able to eventually repeat it to his fellow Avengers.

“You’re kidding,” Rhodey gawps; breaking the silence. Each of the Avengers’ faces display an array of emotions, however none match up to that of Tony’s continuous change of expression - so many emotions are rushing through him that he’s becoming overwhelmed. Although one trumps all others in his mind: panic. 

“Guys, what do I do? What do I say to her? She’ll be here any minute now,” he can barely get the last sentence out: the gravity of the situation weighing down on him.

“I believe the best approach is to tell the truth, and try not to overwhelm her,” Vision offers: Tony doesn’t find it helpful.

“Oh yeah, that’ll work - ‘hey kid, sorry I missed 15 years of your life: I didn’t know you existed until 30 minutes ago. Oops!’”

“Tony, you just need to relax and remain calm - at least on the outside. She’s obviously going through a lot at the moment. She probably feels the same way. So just try to seem relaxed and welcoming, for her,” Steve advises softly, a calming tone to his voice. Tony doesn’t get a chance to answer as F.R.I.D.A.Y speaks up.

“Mr. Stark, sorry to interrupt. Ava is in the elevator.”

“Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y,” Tony says, hysteria weaving its way into his voice.

Before Tony can begin to panic again, Steve takes charge of the situation.

“I think all of us should leave the room and give the two of them some space - like Vision said: we don’t want to overwhelm her.” With Steve’s authoritative statement, all of the Avengers leave the room; sending words of encouragement towards Tony. He can barely hear them: in a state of shock.

Steve lingers at the door, turning back to face Tony, “Remember what I said. Do that and it should go smoothly,” he pauses, “Good luck.”

Tony’s frozen in place for a few seconds. The only thing running through his mind right now is, _oh shit, oh shit, holy shit._

Eventually, he snaps out of it and darts into action as he realises that she’ll be up here within the minute. He scurries off into the kitchen, raiding the cupboards for any form of snack to keep his shaking hands busy. He opens a packet of blueberries and shoves a handful into his mouth as he returns back to the living room.

Too anxious to even sit down, Tony begins pacing a few feet away from the elevator until he hears the loud _ding_ he’s been waiting for. He halts his movement, turning to face the teenager emerging through the doors; plastering what he hopes is a welcoming smile on his features.

“Hey dad,” Ava greets shakily, staying put just outside the elevator doors as they close. Tony panics - haven’t having actually thought of something to say to her, his mind blank. _C’mon, say something, _Tony thinks and speaks without thinking (as per usual).

“Blueberry?”


	2. Chapter 2

Ava is taken aback by the greeting, Tony can tell: her eyebrows furrow together in confusion; and Tony retracts his hand awkwardly.

“Err… I’m Tony, Tony Stark - but you know that of course.” As soon as he says it he immediately regrets it; mentally slapping himself: he sounds so arrogant. This is not a good first impression. _So much for your advice Cap, _he thinks - although he knows he doesn’t actually appear calm, but he’s trying - _it’ll go smoothly my ass!_

Ava soon recovers from the unusual greeting and plasters a nervous smile on her face to match his own.

“Ava,” she introduces herself. They fall into awkward silence. Tony looks down at his feet and takes a calming breath.

“Well, welcome home,” he exclaims - throwing his arms out wide as if showing off the place, “Would you like a tour? It’s a big place: don’t want you getting lost.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to just go to my room and unpack: it’s been a long day,” she says politely. Tony can not only sympathise with this, he also feels relieved; and works hard to make sure his relief doesn’t show in his expression: he doesn’t want her to get the wrong idea.

“Sure. Let me get that for you.” Tony discards the packet of blueberries on the coffee table and moves to take her suitcase from her, “I’ll show you to your room.”

Tony leads her up the stairs and Ava follows behind, remaining silent. The silence is deafening to Tony - the Avengers are a loud bunch. He’s never realised just how much he’s become used to the constant noise; only now, in its absence, does he begin to miss it. Tony was never one for awkward silences but it doesn’t seem appropriate to make a joke at the moment like he normally would, so he powers through it.

When they arrive outside of Ava’s new room Tony opens the door, allowing Ava to enter before him. He sets her suitcase down beside her bed and glances around the room, making sure everything is in order.

“You can decorate how you like,” he tells her, grimacing at how bland the room is. Still, Ava looks around the room with curiosity and maybe a hint of awe - he can’t really tell. In order to avoid another awkward silence Tony excuses himself quickly.

“Dinner will be around 8 so you can meet everyone then. Or before, whichever you prefer. Feel free to wander; get used to the place… I’ll leave you to unpack.”

~ ~ ~ ~

With a gentle click, the door closes behind Tony; Ava heaves out a sigh. This is no longer some future event that she was told may happen anymore: this is happening now. This is real.

Ava decides not to dwell on the subject, for fear of breaking down, so she occupies her mind by unpacking. She drags her suitcase onto the bed and unzips it, the contents spilling over the edges. Pulling out an armful of clothing, she opens the door which she assumes hides a closet behind. At the sight of what lays behind the door her mouth drops open in shock. It’s not like she’s never seen a walk-in closet before - she’s had one herself - but she’s never seen one of this size. By what she can tell, the closet is almost as big as the room itself. She glances at the pile of clothes in her arms, and then at what’s left in her suitcase. _I’m never gonna fill that, _she thinks - she wouldn’t even fill a quarter of it.

After all of her clothes are hung up in the closet (only filling a corner of its extensive space) Ava starts unpacking the remainder of her things: a couple of her favourite books, school textbooks, and a few keepsakes that her mom brought home from her missions abroad.

Finally Ava pulls the last item from her case, the last keepsake. Tears begin to spill from her eyes as she holds the angel wings in the palm of her hand.

In a fit of rage she launches the necklace across the room, not caring where it lands, then aggressively shoving her suitcase from the bed.

She quickly calms down and she regrets throwing the necklace now. In a panic she searches for the jewellery - looking on, under and behind the desk. Her state of panic increases when she doesn’t find it.

Eventually, however, she finds it hooked onto the bulb inside of the lampshade; she sighs in relief, reaching in to retrieve it. For a moment, she stares at the silver wings as hot tears once again form in her eyes. She can’t bare to look at it anymore: she shoves it into the draw of the nightstand; closing it with a loud slam.

She breaks down in tears.

~ ~ ~ ~

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, call the Avengers to the kitchen,” Tony orders as he runs down the stairs.

“They’re on their way.” Tony thanks the AI; checking the time on his phone, 7:41. He doesn’t have a lot of time.

Once he reaches the kitchen he finds the rest of the Avengers already waiting for him. He falters in the entrance as all eyes turn to him; waiting for a run down of what happened.

“How’d it go?” Sam prompts after Tony doesn’t say anything. All of them are intrigued, and Tony knows he’s going to have to tell them all how it went before he gets to the problem at hand. Sighing, he collects his thoughts.

“Well, I royally fucked up the greeting,” he admits loudly; shaking his head at the memory. Tony knows all too well that when he tells them he’ll never be able to live it down: they’ll torture him with it for as long as he lives (he wouldn't be surprised if they brought it up at his funeral).

He explains what happened and their immediate reactions are to burst out in laughter.

“You sure know how to make an impression,” Natasha chuckles.

“You can laugh all you want but we’ve got a problem,” Tony says. The Avengers laughter dies down as he says this: ready to suit up for a mission. Tony resists the urge to mess with them - make it out as though the problem at hand needs superheroes.

“I told her that dinner is at 8 and everyone would be there,” he reveals, watching their expressions relax.

“We never eat all together,” Rhodey points out the obvious and Tony sighs, exasperated.

“That’s exactly my point.” He turns to Steve for help.

“You’re right. She just lost her mother: she deserves some normalcy back in her life,” Steve helps explain, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Tony’s glad that he’s taking charge - although he’ll never admit it - because he’d never be able to do this without his help.

“This isn’t exactly normal, we’re not normal,” Wanda speaks up for the first time - showcasing her powers to prove her point. Tony lets out yet another sigh and checks the time. Why did he ever think this would work?

“It doesn’t matter. We’re her family now - and yes, we are a family. It may not seem like it, but we are. We all take care of each other,” Steve clarifies. _What an inspiring pep talk that was, _Tony thinks - half sarcastic, half grateful. Everyone nods in agreement.

“Thank you for that wonderful speech Mr United States, but we have ten minutes to get dinner ready,” Tony announces, “Any ideas?”

“I can make a mean beef stroganoff,” Natasha offers - looking to Tony for approval.

“Great, I’ll help.” Natasha raises her eyebrow at Tony’s offer; Tony mimics her.

“What?”

~ ~ ~ ~

“Are you alright?” The sudden voice causes Ava to jump, not having heard the door open - although she was sobbing loud enough to drown out the sound. She turns to face the owner of the voice and is surprised by what she sees - her best guess is that he isn’t human.

“Yeah, I was just… my eyes were sweating,” she lamely jokes as she wipes her eyes with a tissue, from the packet Happy gave her earlier.

“Oh, my apologies: I wasn’t aware humans could do that. I’m Vision.” Ava tilts her head; a hint of a smile making its way onto her lips.

“Ava. That was a joke, by the way. We can’t really do that,” she clarifies for him, a barely audible chuckle escaping her lips.

“Thank you for clarifying. Is there anything that I can do to make you feel better?” He asks sympathetically; Ava is already starting to like him.

“You’ve already done just that, I feel much better,” she assures, and Vision seems quite pleased - however perplexed - with her answer. Ava already knows what he’s going to say before he even opens his mouth.

“You were just yourself,” she shrugs. From this conversation, she’s come to the conclusion that he’s most likely from another planet - after all, aliens have been known to exist since that fiasco in New York a few years ago.

“You’re welcome?” Vision replies, sounding more like a question: unsure as whether it’s the right thing to say. Ava nods in encouragement.

~ ~ ~ ~

Twenty minutes later Tony sets foot in the kitchen to the wonderful smell of Natasha’s beef stroganoff. He has to admit, it smells delightful. Natasha glances up, from dishing up seven servings, and sends Tony a raised eyebrow.

“Come to help again? Since you were so helpful earlier,” she taunts, putting the empty pot into the dishwasher. Even though Tony enjoys cooking, he isn't very good at it and prefers to eat out or order in a takeaway. But he loves a home cooked meal whenever he can. He makes a mental note to start cooking more often.

“Hey, I was fantastic at pealing those potatoes,” he defends, sneaking a taste while her back is turned.

“Hands off!” Tony jumps back and attempts to protest, “Don’t try that, I know what you were doing.”

“How did you…” he trails off, watching her carefully. She doesn’t reply; sending him a smirk before turning away to take a couple of plates into the dining room. Tony takes two plates and follows behind her.

Once the table is set, Tony orders F.R.I.D.A.Y to call everyone down for dinner and it doesn’t take long for the Avengers to come barreling into the room - all starving for their first taste of Natasha’s cooking. Tony takes - what he believes is - his rightful place at the head of the table; the Avengers all taking their seats as well, leaving a space for Ava beside Tony.

Ava is the last to appear. She stops short at the door as she sees everyone waiting for her. Since he doesn’t notice any sign of her moving, still stood in shock, fear, or maybe awe - he can’t tell - Tony invites her to sit beside him.

“Ava, this is Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Sam and Rhodey,” Tony introduces her to everyone; each of them sending her a smile or a small wave when their names are spoken.

“Nice to meet you all,” she says rather confidently, which surprises Tony: she seemed terribly shy when they first met (although that might have something to do with the fact that she was meeting her father for the first time in 15 years, Tony still can’t believe that he’s a father).

He motions for everyone to tuck in.

“Where’s the android?” Sam asks.

“He doesn’t eat,” Tony says as an explanation; and noticing Ava’s confusion, he explains, “Purple guy, not a big fan of doors, goes by the name Vision. You’ll meet him at some point today.” He knows his description is extremely vague however, despite this, Ava still seems to know who he’s talking about.

“She’s already met him,” Wanda announces, no doubt reading her mind - which prompts Tony to send her a warning look. They are trying to be normal for once in their lives by having a meal together and reading his daughter’s mind upon their first meeting isn’t exactly normal. Tony doesn’t want Ava to freak out and never want to talk to any of them ever again after only having known them for not even a whole day. _Oh god._

“You’re overreacting,” Wanda states, looking right at Tony, and before he can speak Wanda explains for Ava, “I can read minds.” Tony resits the urge to face-palm. Why did Steve convince him that this could be a normal meal?

“That’s awesome!” Ava reacts, genuinely amazed, “Ok, what number am I thinking of?” Tony chuckles shaking his head fondly: it’s exactly what he would do. Apparently, Rhodey also notices this because he says quietly to Tony, “She’s your daughter alright.” Tony’s immediate reaction is to smile proudly - a reaction that surprises himself.

“73,” Wanda answers almost immediately; Ava’s eyes light up with astonishment.

“That could've been a lucky guess,” Ava jokes, “what colour am I thinking of?” Everyone chuckles, expectantly waiting on Wanda’s answer.

“Turquoise.” Ava is now truly astounded. Tony realises that normal isn’t what she needs: Steve was right about her needing a family but it doesn’t matter whether they're normal or not. _Normal’s boring anyway._

“You know, I have a beautiful turquoise dress, with black lace on the top, that would look gorgeous on you,” Natasha offers, attempting to bond with the teen; and Tony realises he hasn’t said a word to her since the beginning of the meal. As Nat and Ava talk Tony looks to the others for help, struggling for a conversation topic. Steve decides to launch right into conversation.

“So Ava, how’re you liking the place so far? From what you've seen of it of course.” Tony’s confused as to how this helps him.

“It’s big, different to what I’m used to. I mean, the short time that I was staying at S.H.I.E.L.D I only had a small room - probably the size of the elevator here - and about ten of us shared a bathroom and living space. If you spent longer than five minutes in the bathroom you’d have a group of angry kids banging on the door, especially in the morning,” Ava chuckles, easily falling into the conversation, “This place isn’t what I expected it to be inside though.”

“What were you expecting?” Tony asks almost nervously.

“I was expecting it to be a lot like the S.H.I.E.L.D facilities, only bigger. Much like a military base for the Avengers. I didn’t expect a beautiful penthouse,” she explains, gesturing around with her hands. Tony lets out a sigh of relief.

“Your dad designed this place, the whole building,” Rhodey talks him up; the name seems weird being spoken to Tony, especially when it means himself.

“Yeah. I had to redesign it twice. Something always happens to destroy part of my building. I wonder why.” He looks around at all of the Avengers with a humorous smirk on his face. Ava laughs.

“I saw it being destroyed a few years ago on the news, back when it was called Stark Tower.” Tony remembers that all too well; and the gruelling process of redesigning the place was a nightmare.

“Now that was a pain in the ass to design,” he complains lightheartedly; explaining all of the problems he came across in exaggerated detail for Ava. She listens intently, seeming genuinely interested.

“In other words it’s because he had to account for us,” Steve summarises with a smirk.

“Exactly. You’re tough to please,” Tony replies with absolutely no remorse; Ava lets out a hearty laugh.

Tony could get used to this, this family thing: it’s not half bad.


	3. Chapter 3

The Avengers are no help whatsoever.

This morning Tony decided that he wants to spend the day with Ava, a chance for them both to get to know each other, so he asks his fellow Avengers for ideas of activities the two could do together. Which is a bad idea because, as soon as the question leaves his mouth, each of their ideas are thrown at him all at once. Tony doesn’t hear any of their suggestions - all of them becoming muddled together. Although this isn’t the worst part. The worst part is that, after hearing each other’s contrasting ideas, they immediately start bickering. Tony sighs; his head falling into his hands - he wishes he never asked.

Five minutes pass and the squabbling doesn’t seem to be stopping. Tony sighs in exasperation: it’s like babysitting a bunch of toddlers.

“Everybody shut up!” Tony orders, removing his head from his hands, “One at a time.” He gestures to Wanda to present her idea first, believing she’s the best consultant on the matter since her and Ava are so close in age.

“Sightseeing,” she beams. Tony doesn’t even get a chance to think over the activity before they're back to bickering.

“She’s probably lived in New York all her life,” Sam interjects; and is interrupted before he can voice his own suggestion.

“Yes, she probably has however there is the possibility that she has moved here recently. Possibly even to come live here,” Vision tries to reason; Tony wonders why he didn’t think to ask her this yesterday - he’ll make sure to ask her today. 

“That’s highly unlikely,” Natasha declares, “Children of S.H.I.E.L.D agents tend to stay in the same place their whole lives, doesn’t draw as much attention that way.” _That’s a valid point, _Tony thinks and turns to Vision - expecting him to retaliate. Instead, it’s Rhodey that speaks.

“Just because she came here from S.H.I.E.L.D facilities in New York doesn’t mean she lives here. She could've lived anywhere in the world,” he points out.

“S.H.I.E.L.D has facilities all over the world: it’s unlikely she would've lived anywhere else,” Steve explains; looking to Natasha for confirmation.

Tony sighs, collapsing back on the couch. He tunes out the argument: annoyed that no ideas are being thrown around that could prove useful to him - he doesn’t even know why he decided to listen for as long as he did.

Instead of attempting to pry their ideas from them one at a time, since that always works _so _well, he decides to just wait it out. Surely they could all come to a decision by themselves.

***

Tony soon becomes bored, so he tunes back into the argument only to discover that they’re no closer to a decision than they were to begin with. He huffs. Ava will most likely be awake soon and he doesn’t want her first morning here to involve everyone fighting.

As he checks the time on his phone an idea pops into his head, one that might actually be helpful. Swiftly, he marches into the kitchen - his dressing gown billowing out behind him.

Closing the door behind him, to block out the noise, he scrolls through his contact list until he reaches Clint. As the phone rings Tony fills up the coffee machine and takes out a mug, ready to be filled when it’s done.

“Hello?” Clint picks up.

“Hey, I didn’t wake you did I?” Tony starts off, moving away from the low hum of the coffee machine and leaning against the island.

“No, we’re getting the kids ready for school,” he answers; Tony hears one of them complain in the background. This prompts him to wonder what school Ava attends, and makes a mental note to ask her today.

“Good. How’s the little one?” he asks, attempting to make small talk before dumping his problem on him.

“Exhausting, keeps us up most of the night. But at least I’m here to take on half the load from Laura,” Clint responds. Tony’s glad Clint’s enjoying his retirement.

***

“Tony, what do you want?” Clint deadpans causing Tony to panic, not exactly ready to reveal this information.

“What makes you think I want something?” he stalls - not ready to hear the words leave his own mouth.

“Because you called me at half seven in the morning. Get to the point.”

“It’s a wake up call - can’t have you slacking now can we?” he jokes.

_Ding._ Tony heads over to the coffee machine and pours the hot coffee into the mug.

“Tony,” Clint reprimands as Tony takes a swig of coffee - immediately regretting it as it burns his tongue. He discards the mug, allowing it to cool, and returns to his previous position.

“You have kids right?” he blurts, physically face-palming at his stupid question.

Clint doesn’t answer right away.

“Yeah, you know that,” he finally drawls, confusion prominent in his voice.

“And you get on with them quite well?”

“Yeah. Why're you asking me this?” On the other end of the line Tony hears Laura instructing the kids to put on their shoes; he feels an odd pang of guilt.

“Didn’t you hear? I’d have thought Fury would've told you, considering he’s keeping tabs on us all.”

“No, Tony. Hear what?” Tony can hear the exasperation in his voice. He can sympathise: he’s felt the same quite a bit lately.

“I sort of, kinda…” Even though he knows that stalling isn’t going to make a difference, he still does - not ready to hear the words leave his own mouth.

“Spit it out.”

“I have a daughter.” The words feel strange leaving his mouth; it makes it all seem more real. And, to his own surprise, Tony isn’t as discomforted by the fact like he originally thought. It brings a smile to his face.

“Clint, buddy, you still there?” he asks when Clint doesn’t say anything.

“You have a daughter,” he utters in disbelief, “How?”

“Didn’t your parents ever give you the birds and the bees talk?” Tony chuckles and takes a sip of his coffee, which has cooled enough for him to drink.

“You know what I mean. What’s her name?” Tony surprises himself with his own reaction to this - a swell of pride. He imagines Clint feels the same when talking about his own children.

“Ava. She’s 15…” he trails off - not having anything else to say; he feels a twinge of guilt.

“What else?” Clint prompts him, causing Tony to feel slightly more guilty.

“That’s why I’m calling: I need your help,” he admits; praying that he doesn’t make a big deal out of that fact.

“_You_ need _my _help? Am I dreaming?” Tony rolls his eyes - of course Clint would make a big deal out of it, he doesn’t know why he even bothered to hope for otherwise.

“Clint, this is serious. I need a way to bond with her; get to know her, you know?” Hopefully Clint will be more help than the squabbling toddlers in the other room.

Clint takes a moment to think.

“What about taking her shopping? I’m assuming her room is very bland, like when I first moved in. So she can buy some furniture and things. Make a whole day out of it - go to the mall, get some lunch. It’ll be a good place to talk, find out what she likes, and shopping will help fill in the gaps in the conversation.” _What a brilliant idea, _Tony thinks; grimacing as he remembers the blandness of her room.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” he admits; he faintly hears Laura calling for Clint, “I’ll let you get back to your domestic activities.”

“You’re welcome,” Clint sarcastically mumbles and Tony ends the call.

As if on cue, Tony’s stomach rumbles.

“Right, breakfast,” he mutters to himself.

“Wanda!” he calls, scurrying back into the living room.

~ ~ ~ ~

Ava wakes up slowly; taking in the unfamiliar surroundings with tired eyes. She had trouble sleeping last night: the huge change playing on her mind into the late night hours.

Not ready to face the world just yet, Ava rolls over in an attempt to get more sleep however the rising sun is at the perfect angle to peak through the blinds - which she forgot to close last night - and glare right into her eyes. She just closes her eyes in an attempt to ignore it. _5 more minutes, _she thinks, as though the sun will listen to her kind request and humbly retreat.

Although, this isn’t what happens: the sun is persistent in its attempt to force Ava out of bed; and after 30 seconds Ava’s given up on her attempt to ignore.

As she begrudgingly drags herself out of bed she mutters a string of curse words, making her grumpiness known. She glares at the blinds; making a mental note to close them tonight.

She stumbles her way into the bathroom to splash her face with cold water - since she’s not going to get anymore sleep she might as well wake herself up a bit. The bathroom is immaculately clean, causing Ava to wonder who actually cleans the penthouse. Do they have a maid? A whole cleaning team? Or do the Avengers do it themselves? The thought of the Avengers cleaning the tower is laughable to Ava.

“Good morning, Miss Stark,” a sudden voice speaks - from seemingly everywhere. Ava jumps out of her skin at the interruption; whirling around to the door. Although, no one’s there.

“Oh, where are my manners. I am F.R.I.D.A.Y, an artificial intelligence system created by Mr. Stark.” It takes a second for Ava to soak in that information.

“Hi,” she replies rather awkwardly, not knowing where to look, “and it’s not Stark, it’s Fenton.”

“My apologies, Miss Fenton.” Ava isn’t too sure whether to attempt to continue the conversation or not however before she can decide F.R.I.D.A.Y speaks again.

“Miss Maximoff has made breakfast for everyone in the kitchen.”

“Who?” Ava asks as she turns off the tap - coming to the conclusion that she doesn’t really need to look anywhere to acknowledge the AI.

“Wanda,” she clarifies for her.

“Thank you,” Ava says, leaving the bathroom and quickly making her bed. She debates for a second whether to get dressed first, but decides against it; exiting her room.

Luckily, her room is positioned at the top of the staircase so she won’t easily become lost. She’ll have to wander around the place pretty soon: there’s so much she hasn’t explored.

As she descends the stairs she begins to hear loud chatter coming from the kitchen; and, as she gets closer, a wonderful smell invades her senses. Her stomach rumbles in anticipation.

“What’s for breakfast?” she asks when she enters the kitchen. All of the Avengers are either sat or stood around the breakfast island in the middle of the room. They're still in pyjamas, making Ava feel slightly more comfortable about her similar attire.

“Blueberry pancakes,” Wanda announces proudly as a plate of pancakes fly gently towards her. For a moment, Ava observes the plate in awe; glancing between Wanda and the floating plate.

“That’s awesome,” she comments; taking the plate from the air. Her comment prompts chuckles from the Avengers. She slides onto a stool beside Sam, taking the knife and fork that Rhodey offers her and digs in.

“Coffee?” Tony offers cheerfully as he pours himself a cup, seeming not as hesitant to talk to her as he was yesterday.

“Please.” Tony retrieves another mug from the cupboard; proceeding to pour the fresh coffee into it.

“How’d you sleep?” Tony asks as he places the coffee mug beside her plate. Ava finishes her mouthful of food before answering.

“Ok, I guess. F.R.I.D.A.Y introduced herself to me this morning, scared the shit out of me,” she explains lightheartedly.

“Careful, Steve doesn’t like that sort of language,” Natasha teases, eyeing Steve mischievously over the rim of her coffee mug.

“You’re never gonna let that go, are you?” Steve says with a fond sigh, shaking his head. Ava wonders what happened, however decides against asking: it’s obviously an inside joke.

Ava takes a sip of her coffee and, upon doing so, notices the design on the mug - the Avengers logo.

“Nice mug,” she chuckles, placing it back down on the island.

“At least _someone_ appreciates them,” Sam accuses as he sends a glare around the room to his teammates, who are each holding mugs to match.

“Why would someone decide to make these?” Wanda snorts as she examines the mug in her hand.

“Where did you even find them?” Rhodey wonders; Ava picks out a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Gift shop around the corner. They sell loads of this type of stuff,” Sam explains, gesturing in the general direction of the shop. No one gets a chance to say anything else as Vision saunters into the kitchen, fully dressed.

“Morning everyone.” Ava’s eyes widen in disbelief. Did he just walk through a wall?

“He does that a lot,” Wanda answers for her, without Ava even having to utter a word. She looks back to Vision, amazed by his ability.

“How many times have I told you? Use the damn door, it’s what they're there for,” Tony scolds with a sigh, disposing of his empty coffee mug in the dishwasher.

“My apologies.” Vision takes the empty seat beside Natasha. The conversation picks up where it left off.

“Sam just used these mugs to bribe his way into the Avengers,” Steve chuckles; gently nudging Sam with his shoulder.

“I hate all of you,” Sam grumpily states, “except for Ava: she actually likes the mugs.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say _that_,” she jokes, taking a sip from the mug in question.

“Then I hate you too,” Sam retorts playfully.

***

Once Ava finishes her food, she takes the plate and slots it into the dishwasher; returning back to her seat to finish her coffee.

“So, what’s on the agenda today? Saving the world?” Ava questions cheerfully.

“What do you think about going shopping? You can get some things for your new room, and anything else you want. Sky’s the limit,” Tony offers, his expression hopeful.

“Sounds great. Just us two?” Ava’s actually looking forward to spending time with her dad, which surprises her. Maybe because they seem to be more comfortable talking to one another today.

“Is that ok?” Tony worries.

“Yeah, of course,” Ava finishes off her coffee in one go, “I’ll go get ready.” And with that she’s bouncing out of the kitchen, towards her room.


	4. Chapter 4

“We going shopping or shoplifting?” Ava laughs when she sees Tony’s ‘inconspicuous’ attire (a pair of jeans, a blue hoodie, and blacked out sunglasses) as she gently closes her bedroom door. Tony meets her at the top of the stairs and they proceed to walk down together. Tony shrugs.

“Well, I don’t mean to brag but I _am_ Tony Stark aka Iron Man. I have many adoring fans who would love to take pictures.” It’s meant to come off as sarcastic, although Tony’s afraid it may have sounded big-headed. However, to his relief, Ava laughs.

They make it into the elevator; Rhodey telling them to ‘have fun’ just before the doors slide shut.

“Hey, I’m doing this for you: if I’m not recognised the more time I get to spend with you,” Tony says this lightheartedly, however still manages to keep a slight tone of seriousness in his voice that he hopes Ava can hear.

Ava’s quiet for a moment, and Tony thinks he should have made the seriousness of the statement more prominent. Before he can even begin to overthink, however, Ava speaks up.

“Thank you,” she says sincerely; looking up at him with an expression Tony can’t decipher.

“No problem, kiddo.” His words are also sincere. And, although he doesn’t know why, his statement means a lot to Ava - but he dare not ask why, or even point it out.

The elevator finally reaches the lobby floor; and as the doors slide smoothly open, the two are greeted by Happy.

“Good morning, where are you two going?” Happy asks, taking his position as head of security seriously - as always. At first this was extremely annoying to Tony, however as time passed he’s become more fond of Happy’s approach to things.

“Shopping,” Tony answers and picks up his pace.

“I’ll get the car,” Happy states, moving towards the garage before his path is blocked by Tony.

“_I_ was planning on driving today,” Tony informs him as he switches his gaze subtly back and forth between Happy and Ava, hoping he gets the message. Happy gives a slight nod.

“Oh, ok. I get ya.” Tony gives him a quick smile and a thumbs up, and is about to walk away when Happy says, “I’ll follow behind.” Tony’s patience is beginning to ware thin.

“Happy, I know you mean well, but you gotta give me some space,” he tells him as gently as he can; Happy opens his mouth to interrupt, “At least for today.” Without waiting for a reply this time, Tony leads Ava towards the garage. Just as they reach the door Happy calls after them.

“Be back before 7.” Tony chuckles to himself; he even hears Ava let out a slight giggle.

“Yes mom!” he calls back, to which Ava laughs at. He’s very chuffed with himself.

As they enter the garage, Tony notices the way Ava’s eyes widen at the sight of his vast collection of cars. Her eyes are immediately drawn to the bright yellow Lambourghuini. Whilst Ava gawps Tony strolls over to all of the keys hanging on separate hooks, and takes the keys to the Lambourghuini. Casually, he strolls over to the sports car - tossing the keys up and down as he walks.

“What happened to keeping a low profile?” Ava chuckles at her dad leaning against the side of the car, a smirk on his face.

“This could be any obnoxious rich guy’s car,” Tony explains as he opens the passenger door for Ava.

“It literally says Stark on the back,” she laughs, noticing the number plate, before climbing into the car.

“Would you rather take the subway?” he asks sarcastically, closing the door for Ava. He jogs round to the driver’s side. He doesn’t bother to open the door, he just jumps right over it into the seat.

“Hell no!” Ava replies enthusiastically, running her hand over the dashboard in admiration. Tony smiles.

“Got your seatbelt on?”

“Yep,” Ava replies as she clips herself in.

“Good.” Tony turns the keys in the ignition and the car roars to life.

~ ~ ~ ~

“So, where do you wanna go first?” Tony asks Ava as they get out of the car. Ava thinks for a moment.

“Maybe a painting would look good above my bed,” she replies, unsure as to what she could buy - it’s not her money after all. Tony nods and leads them towards the nearest relevant store.

The store they end up in is a rather large home store, so it takes them a while to find the section they're looking for.

Ava wanders down each of the aisles, her eyes passing over each of the art pieces on display but none of them have caught her interest so far.

“Seen anything you like yet?”

“Not yet,” Ava mumbles back a reply, her eyes still scanning over her options. They walk a few more feet before she hears her dad’s footsteps behind her come to a stop. She turns around to see him pointing towards a canvas print of Iron Man.

“Now this is very nice. A masterpiece!” Ava giggles. Tony picks up the canvas and shows Ava.

“What do you think? This would look great in the living room,” Tony exclaims, turning it over to see the price on the reverse, “And such a good price! I’ve got to get this.” Tony puts the painting under his arm and continues down the aisle.

“Wait, you're serious?” Ava giggles, watching her father walk away.

“Of course. I’m gonna hang it above the sofa; see how long it takes someone to notice,” he chuckles. Ava shakes her head in amusement and they continue wandering through the aisles.

***

Eventually, Ava finds a couple pieces of art that she likes.

“I don’t know which one I like more,” Ava mumbles to herself as she looks back and forth between the two canvases.

“Get them both,” Tony encourages.

“Really?”

“Of course. What did I say this morning?” Tony states, already taking one of the paintings from Ava to carry. Ava thinks back to this morning.

“Sky’s the limit,” she remembers, following Tony from the aisle.

“Sky’s the limit,” he confirms enthusiastically, “you can redecorate your whole room if you want, kiddo.” Ava becomes excited at this news.

“Well in that case we’re gonna need a shopping cart,” she exclaims, leading Tony out of the aisle

***

Throughout the morning, Ava drags Tony around the store and many others looking for the perfect decorations for her new room. Tony doesn’t really mind, in fact, he’s enjoying himself - although by the time lunch time rolls around he’s exhausted.

“You hungry?” Tony asks Ava, interrupting her hunt for the perfect vanity.

“I am kind of peckish,” she doesn’t remove her eyes from inspecting the furniture, “where was you thinking?” Ava continues to move down the aisle, after deciding that particular vanity is not what she wants. Tony trails behind her, pushing the overflowing shopping cart.

Tony thinks for a moment before answering.

“You like Burger King?” he questions hopefully, his need to sit down largely swaying his decision since it’s the closest.

“Who doesn’t?” she replies, still not stopping her scan of the aisle.

“Great, there’s one just round the corner. We’ll pay for these and then head there,” he looks down at the cart’s contents skeptically, “they deliver don’t they?”

Ava suddenly halts. In his distraction Tony almost doesn’t stop in time, although she didn’t seem to notice - which he’s glad for.

“This one’s perfect,” Ava exclaims, running her hand over the wooden surface of the vanity.She reaches round to the back of the mirror to turn on the large bulbs surrounding it. She squeals in joy, causing a few surprised glances from the surrounding customers. Tony chuckles, _I guess she likes this one. _He hasn’t failed to notice how picky she is.

“Grab the box and balance it on top of the other stuff,” Tony instructs, and Ava does just that. With the right amount of manoeuvring the contents on the cart, the compact box is now balanced on top as safely as it can be.

“Right, food,” Ava sighs dramatically, already charging off towards the checkout. Tony struggles to turn the heavy cart around in the right direction.

Thankfully there isn’t much of a line, although it was enough to make Tony debate on whether to just run around the corner to get their food while they wait. Although he’s starving, Tony decided against it soon enough as waiting to get their food together means that the two of them can spend more time getting to know each other.

~ ~ ~ ~

Over lunch the two make small talk, which is extremely awkward at first, however they soon get into an easy and natural conversation about Ava’s school.

“Well, science is pretty cool. But I used to hate it before I got this new teacher, Mr. Burner. My old teacher was really boring, he had this voice that just droned on and on. No emotion in his voice whatsoever! Although you could lead him off on a tangent really easily, we once got him talking about different cookie brands for almost the full lesson,” Ava pauses to shove a few fries into her mouth, “Anyway, Mr. Burner made the lessons really interesting. Like, instead of just lecturing us for an hour he would actually let us do stuff. He’s the reason I joined the chemistry club, which I really enjoyed.”

Ava takes a moment to think, “I’m also pretty interested in engineering. We had a careers day at school not too long ago, it certainly made my mind up about whether it was for me or not.”

“So you want to be an engineer then?” Tony asks enthusiastically, Ava knew this was a topic that she could bond with him over.

“Yeah, although I haven’t had much chance to actually do any - my school doesn’t exactly have the facilities to offer such a curriculum.” Tony seemed disheartened by this comment, almost more than herself it seemed.

“Aww, that’s a shame,” he says sympathetically; his face brightens, “Well I could teach you some things. I have plenty of projects that I’m working on, I could use an assistant.” His voice is laced with hope; Ava finds his shy hopefulness very sweet.

“Really? Does this mean I get to work on the Iron Man armour?!” she squeals excitedly, barely being able to contain her excitement.

“Maybe,” Tony replies with a sly chuckle, causing Ava to let out an excited gasp.

“I have so many ideas, I can’t wait to show you. I have them all drawn out in my notebook!” Ava rambles.

Tony raises his eyebrow, “really? Wow, I can’t wait to see them. Are they like cosmetic ideas, weaponry ideas, or just general maintenance ideas?”

“Bit of everything really,” she shrugs, “although I don’t actually know if any of it will actually work: I’m not great with math.” Tony smiles fondly.

“Tell you what, after we finish our food you can get your notebook and we’ll go down to the armoury and take a crack at your ideas. I’ll help you with the math. We can do it together,” he suggests, finishing off his burger in one bite.

Ava beams at the idea, she can’t believe he want’s to work on her ideas with her. _And_ help her learn how to do the math!

“Let’s go!” she exclaims as she gets ready to leave, her mouth full from having just inhaled the rest of her food. Before Tony even gets a chance to say anything she’s marching out the door.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Why don’t you go grab your notebook and I’ll meet you in the armoury. It’s just down here,” Tony suggests when they exit the elevator into the living room, gesturing over to the staircase. With a quick nod Ava is running upstairs to her room, prompting Tony to run downstairs - he needs to clean up all the crap he left lying about yesterday.

When he opens the door the mess isn’t as bad as he had thought, just some tools lying out on the counters. Although he does spot his half eaten sandwich and coffee cup left by the computer. He quickly throws the rest of the sandwich in the trash but doesn’t have time to take the mug and plate up to the kitchen as Ava comes bounding down the stairs, notebook in hand. She begins flipping through the pages as Tony sets down the mug and plate on the desk again.

“What you got for me?” Tony pulls an extra stool up to the holographic computer for Ava to sit. She doesn't look up from her notebook while doing so, still flipping through the pages, making Tony wonder just how many ideas she has.

The two spend quite some time looking over each of her designs. Tony is not only amazed by her ideas, some that even he could never have fabricated, but by her art skills as well. Each idea is mapped out in a painstakingly detailed diagram, not like the kind Tony whips up either: it’s artistic detail, almost like concept art for a movie.

“Wow,” is all Tony can say.

Ava sheepishly glances at him, “I know they’re probably not the best ideas but I worked really hard on them and…” Tony cuts her off, realising she’s getting the wrong end of the stick.

“No, I mean ‘wow’ as in they’re well,” he struggles for words, “just simply… outstanding.” Ava beams; Tony cherishes the sight.

“Thank you. I’ve never actually shown these to anyone before.” Tony is so proud of her, his daughter. _Wow, this father thing is catching on pretty fast,_ he thinks as she flicks through the rest of her drawings: he never thought he’d get to experience this feeling.

Gently taking the notebook from Ava’s hands he continues to flick through the designs.

“They’re all so artistically drawn as well,” he looks up from his inspections to Ava, still grinning from ear to ear, “You, young lady, have talent.” Seeing her so happy and proud of herself makes Tony happy, and in that moment, he realises what it feels like to be a dad. There’s so much love in his expression it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out how much she already means to him - he’d do anything for his little girl.

After flicking through a few more pages he stops, examining this particular design with trained eyes.

“This one!” He exclaims, slapping the notebook down in front of Ava, “Let’s start with this one.” Tony shifts his gaze from the notebook to Ava, smiling a proud smile. Ava nods, and they get to work.


End file.
